Never Noticed Before
by Macotee
Summary: ARCHIE COMICS Archie breaks another promise to Betty and she’s left crying AGAIN! Jughead helps her to see that all he will do is hurt her. Will Betty begin to see Jughead differently? Will she see things that she “never noticed before”?
1. Friday

**Title:** Never Noticed Before

**Rating:** PG-13 (to be safe)

**Pairing:** Jughead/Betty

**Summary:** Archie breaks another promise to Betty and she's left crying AGAIN! Jughead helps her to see that all he will do is hurt her. Will Betty begin to see Jughead differently? Will she see things that she "never noticed before"?

It was the Formal Valentine's Day dance at Riverdale High. Everyone was dressed up and happy… all except Betty. At the beginning of the dance Betty was the happiest girl in the room. But that was when she was the one dancing with Archie, now it was Veronica who was in his arms. 'It's not fair' she thought, 'He asked me. He came with me! Then she had to come and steal him away.'

Now it was a slow song and everyone was dancing, even the people who came alone. Normally she'd be dancing with Reggie, but he came with Cheryl. She would even dance with Dilton, but he and Ethyl had started going steady. And she refused to steal anyone's date. Veronica stole her happiness that way and she wouldn't steal someone else's. Therefore she was one of only two people who weren't dancing. The only other one who wasn't dancing was Jughead, who was busying himself at the snack bar.

What Betty didn't know was that Jughead had been watching her. He saw her dance with Archie. He saw Veronica take him away from her… again. And now he could see Betty sitting by herself and there were tears sliding slowly down her face. He sighed as he set his food down and wiped the crumbs from his mouth with his napkin.

Betty looked up, startled, when Jughead sat next to her. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

She started at him. "What do you think!"

"Veronica…" It was a statement. Not a question or a guess.

Betty nodded and sniffed. "She's doing this just to spite me, you know. She knows I've looked forward to this night for months… and he actually chose me over her. He chose ME!"

Jughead just sat there looking at her thoughtfully. "Why don't we show her you don't care?"

"But I do!"

"She doesn't have to know that. Besides, it'll take all the fun out of it for her if she sees you still having fun."

"But I have no dance partner… how can I dance if I don't have a partner?"

"If you'll dance, I'll be your partner." Jug stood up and offered her his hand.

"Really? But I thought you planned on eating all night…"

"Well… I did…" Then he smirked at her. "But I'd rather dance with you."

Betty smiled and took his hand. A faint blush spread across her cheeks as the crowd parted and eyes were drawn as Jughead, Riverdale's number one woman hater, led her towards the middle of the dance floor.

When they stopped Jughead turned and she noticed a slight hesitation before he put his hands on her waist. She smiled and put her hands on his shoulders.

As the song played Jughead smiled down at her. It wasn't one of his normal smiles though… it was a look she had never seen on his face before and for some reason it caused butterflies to flutter around in her stomach. She forced herself to break eye contact.

The song ended much too soon for both Betty and Jug. Betty slid her hands off his shoulders. "Thank you for the dance Juggie… it really cheered me up." She seemed to have tensed up again and her mood went back down.

The next song started to play and it happened to be another slow song. Jug tightened his hold on Betty's waist and pulled her back to him. "It's another slow song… You don't want to stop now do you?"

Relief instantly filled her face and her shining smile reappeared. They resumed their dancing positions, and this time she couldn't help but notice how close they seemed to be and a faint blush spread across Betty's cheeks.

After the song ended both dropped their hands from their partner; Betty clasped hers together in front of her and Jughead shoved his into his pockets. "Thanks for the dances Juggie." Betty said with a sad smile as she turned to leave the dance floor.

Jug reached out and touched her arm, causing her to turn back. "Are you sure you don't want to dance anymore? This is one of your favorite songs isn't it? I'm still willing to dance if you are."

Betty just nodded, amazed that Jughead was willingly going this long without eh snack bar. She was also surprised that he knew she really liked this song. Archie never bothered to remember that kind of stuff. She let hip pull her back to their dance spot.

They danced the rest of the night, never leaving the other's side.

The last dance was announced; time had flown by in a blur for Betty and Jughead. As the slow, romantic melody played, Jughead held Betty to him, his fingers making random patterns on her back while she had her head leaning against his shoulder. He closed his eyes and resisted the temptation to hold her tighter. He couldn't believe he finally had Betty Cooper in his arms… even if it was only until the song ended.

Betty breathed deeply as Jughead's scent filled her senses. Before she had always thought he smelled of hamburgers, but this time he smelled different. There was still a food scent to him, but only slightly. There also was a slight scent of cologne, but that wasn't what had caught her attention. It was a simple good-smelling scent that must've just been him. Betty didn't know many people who had a naturally good scent, and Archie definitely wasn't one of those people. Without cologne his scent was… well, not bad, but not good either. It surprised her when she realized that this was the first time she thought of Archie since she had started dancing with Jughead. She closed her eyes and willed Archie back out of her mind and just basked in the scent that was Jughead.

Soon she felt Jughead's breath on her ear as he spoke softly to her. "Betty…"

"Yea?" She opened her eyes, not remembering having closed them.

"…The song is over."

She hadn't noticed. Blushing, she dropped her hands back to her sides and they stepped apart. Instantly Betty found herself missing his touch. 'Whoa!' she thought 'Where'd that come from?'

Before Betty could contemplate anymore on that anymore Veronica's voice came from behind her. "Yoo-Hoo! Betty!"

Betty turned with an eye roll and a sigh. "What do you want Veronica?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Archie is taking me to an all-night disco so you'll have to find your own way home."

"What! Wait, Veron-"

"Bye-bye Betty! See you in class." She gave Betty a pretty smirk then walked off laughing.

"Great!" Betty said, her good mood forgotten. She went toward the refreshment stand where she had left her jacket and purse.

"You ok, Betty?"

"Oh me, I'm fine." Betty said, her normally sweet voice was tainted by anger and disdain. "Not only did she steal my date, but then she stole my ride too." She glared darkly as she watched Archie follow Veronica out the door with a goofy, lovesick look on his face. She practically sobbed in frustration as she sat down with her face in her hands.

Jughead sat next to her. "If I had a car I'd offer you a ride home but..." He touched her arm, trying to console her, "since I don't have one…" He jumped to his feet "I offer myself as escort to see you home safely" He took off his hat and did a little bow. He received the reaction he wanted, Betty burst out laughing.

"How do you do that Juggie?"

Jughead tilted his head slightly to the side How do I do what?"

She smiled. "You can always make me smile, no matter how bad of mood I'm in"

Jug shrugged and smiled warmly. "I don't know…" he extended his arm to her "but I was serious about walking you home."

She smiled as she stood up and took his arm.

They spent the entire walk talking about nothing and everything, just goofing off and horsing around. Luckily Betty's dress shoes weren't that high so her feet didn't hurt all that much walking the distance from the dance to her house.

When they got to her driveway, the mood shift was very apparent. Neither wanted her to go yet.

"…Well… we're here," said Jughead, there was a hint of remorse in his voice. This caught Betty's attention, but she brushed it off thinking it wouldn't be possible.

Just as she was about to go inside, Jughead spoke up, "You want them to stop hurting you?

She turned back to him, hurt evident on her face. "Of course I want them to stop… but how can I do that?"

"Just don't give them the opportunity."

Betty shook her head with confusion, her expression a little angry. "What are you trying to say, Jug?" Thinking he meant she brought it all on herself.

"No, Betty, I don't mean it like that, I-" He broke off and sighed in frustration.

"What did you mean then?"

He didn't say anything for a minute, collecting his thoughts. "Archie's my buddy… and I love him like a brother… but it kills me to watch him treat you the way he does. He stepped closer to Betty and brushed a stray hair behind her ear, she found that her heart was pounding and she could hardly breathe. "Betty.. If you stay with him, all he's going to do it hurt you… Ronnie too."

Betty looked at the ground and a tear slid down her cheek. "I know…" More tears followed suite.

Jug pulled her into a hug and held her tightly, his hand rubbing her back "So what are you going to do?"

She pulled away and wiped her eyes. "I don't know." She said, shaking her head. "They're my friends… I can't just avoid them."

Jughead shook his head. "You don't have to avoid them… just don't let them hurt you anymore… don't make it possible for Ron to steal him away."

"Well what do you think I've been doing all these years? I've tried my best to hold on to him but-" She noticed the look on Jug's face. "Oh… you mean…" Her eyes widened "You mean you want me to stop going out with him!"

Jug shrugged, "If that's what it takes. You need to make sure he knows you won't let him treat you that way anymore."

She shook her head, "I've tried that before, it won't work."

"It won't with an attitude like that." Jug pointed out.

She sighed. "I guess I'll stop seeing him romantically." She said as she wrapped her arms around herself.

Jughead put his hand on her shoulder. "I know this will be hard and painful… But Betty, trust me, this will be best in the long run… Plus I'll be here to help you… whenever you need me, even if it's in the middle of the night."

Betty looked up into his kind eyes and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you Juggie" She said, pulling back enough to look up at him, "For everything."

He smiled. It was a sweet, almost shy smile. "Anything for you Betty." He said softly, almost a whisper. With that he placed a kiss on her forehead and turned to walk to his own home, his hands deep in his pockets.

Betty's hand went to her forehead and a smile spread across her face. She went inside and shut the door.

That was Friday night.


	2. Saturday

(A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! It all means so much to me! Thank you oh and this will be a longer chapter. ... by quite a bit… I hope you all like it.)

SATURDAY

It was seven o'clock when Betty's alarm clock went off and the sunlight was just beginning to shine through her window and into her room. She pulled herself out of bed and went for her morning jog.

When she came back she was surprised to find both of her parents up. Normally they took advantage of the weekends and slept in as much as they could. "Good morning Betty-honey," her mom said cheerfully as she made breakfast.

"Morning Mom," Betty said as she kissed her mother good morning. "Not that I'm complaining about you making breakfast or anything, but what are you doing up?"

"Oh, I didn't get a chance to tell you. You left for the dance before your father got home and got back after we were already in bed. Your father is taking me on a trip to Hawaii. Our flight leaves at noon and we won't get back until Wednesday."

"Oh mom, that's great! Betty said, hugging her.

"I know I don't need to remind you of the rules: Two friends during the day and only one at night, and not a boy."

Betty smirked sardonically. "Don't worry mom… I doubt I'll have anyone over. And if I do it'll probably only be Juggie."

Concern appeared on her mom's face. "What happened Betty?"

"Oh just the same thing that happens every time." She said, holding back the tears. "You think I'd be used to her taking him from me."

"Oh sweetheart…" her mom said, pulling her into a hug.

"I'm ok mom… I actually had fun anyway, thanks to Juggie… he's always there for me" The last part she seemed to be saying to herself.

"Are you going to be ok here by yourself for so long?"

Betty nodded. "Yeah…. And IF I have any trouble or anything I'll probably go crash on Jug's couch."

"Alright… If you're sure.."

"I'm sure mom. You and dad go have a good time." Betty went upstairs to shower and then spent the rest of the morning with her parents before they left.

Normally on Saturdays Betty would go with Veronica to the mall after her chores got done. Ronnie, however, never called her, and she sure wasn't going to call her. Archie hadn't called either. But oddly enough, she didn't care all that much, there was someone else she wanted to call more. But of course he didn't.

The phone rang. Once. Twice. Betty held her breath and answered it. "Hello? …oh… hi grandma." She tried not to let her disappointment show in her voice. "No they aren't here, they left this morning… yea. He took her to Hawaii… sure I'll let them know you called… love you too… bye" She hung up the phone and sighed, feeling slightly stupid for expecting it to be him. Why would he call? He hardly ever called before and things between them hadn't changed… had they? No, she must just be looking for an easy way to get off Archie. Hello! It's Jughead we're talking about here… the number one woman hater

(He sure spends a lot of time and attention on you for someone who doesn't like girls.)

'He's just a friend. He's helping me work through a rough time.

(If that's what you want to think)

Betty let out a sigh, she hated getting into conversations with herself, argumentative or otherwise. It always made her feel a little crazy. So she decided to do something she always did when she needed to keep her mind off something; clean and bake.

As she pulled the first batch of cookies and set them on the counter to cool, the doorbell rang. Wiping her hands on her apron, Betty went to answer the door, wondering who it could be. It was now almost 4 o'clock so any visitors who would have came on any business would have come already. She opened the door and was surprised to see Jughead standing on the doorstep. "Juggie! What are you doing here?"

He had his hands in his pockets and he almost seemed embarrassed. "I was just a little worried I guess. I wanted to stop by and make sure you were doing alr-" He suddenly broke off his sentence and sniffed the air. "Did you bake cookies?" His face had pretty much light up at the thought of having one of Betty's wonderful cookies.

Betty laughed, but her thoughts weren't that cheery. 'Yep, same old Jug… I knew I was crazy for thinking those thoughts earlier'. Instead of relief, however, she felt a twinge of remorse. But she smiled anyway. "Yeah, I actually just took out the first batch. Do you want to come in and have some?"

Jughead grinned. "Is a hamburger tasty? Of course I'd love to have one! Or three! Or a dozen!" he laughed as she opened the door wider and let him in.

"So what have you been up to today Jug?" Betty asked as she put the next batch of cookies in the oven.

"Not much… I babysat Jellybean all day 'cause mom had dad take her shopping at the mall." He bit into a cookie and looked around. "Speaking of parents, where's yours?"

"Oh that's right, I haven't told you yet. Well, Dad surprised mom with a trip to Hawaii and they won't be back until next Wednesday."

"Wow! Your dad has to be in her good graces"

Betty laughed,"Yea, they've been so stressed out lately. This vacation will be good for them." She said as she got the next batch of cookies ready. "I'm sure they're havin' a blast." As she was putting the cookie dough on the sheet, a sudden image of her and Jughead on a tropical beach filled her mind. She shook her head to push the thought away and turned to Jughead and just missed him doing the same thing. "So what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

The timer for the cookies went off and she went to pull them out as he spoke. "Nothing really… I asked Arch if he wanted to hang, but he said he was busy." He saw Betty tense up and winced. "Sorry Betty, I wasn't thinking…"

Betty shrugged and forced a brave smile. "It's ok Jug. If I can't even talk about him, how am I supposed to actually face him?" She put the cookie sheet down and closed her eyes, trying to force away the tears that were threatening to fall. Jughead saw this and pulled her into a hug.

She basked in the feel of his embrace for a few minutes before gently pulling away. "Thank you Juggie… I don't think I'd be strong enough to pull through this without you." She said before taking the second cookie sheet out of the oven

Jug just smiled warmly at her. "I'd never leave you hanging Betty… I'll always be here…" They were standing really close to each other, almost touching, staring into each other's eyes. A sudden intensity cam between them and Betty found her heart pounding and she suddenly became very aware of how close he was to her.

The tense silence went on for a few seconds before Betty couldn't bear Jughead's gaze anymore and broke eye contact, a faint blush coming over her cheeks. "Um… It's still early… do you wanna stay for a while and watch a movie or two with me? I just got a couple new ones the other day."

"uh… yeah, sure." He shoved his hands deep in his pockets, turning his face from her to try and hide his own embarrassment. He grabbed a cookie and bit into it. "What movies did you get?"

Betty slid the still hot cookies from the oven off of the cookie sheet and onto the plate. "Well, I got 'Seven' (Se7en), which is a suspense thriller. And I got 'The Wedding Singer' which is a romantic comedy with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymoore. I heard it was really funny."

"Yeah, me too… Sure, why not? Just let me call my folks and let them know where I'm gonna be."

"Yeah, no problem. You know where the phone is"

As Jughead went to the living room to use the telephone, Betty leaned against the counter and let out a trembling sigh. What just happened? Did her and Jughead have a moment? …No, she must have been imagining things… there is no way her and Jughead could ever have a moment…is there? Before she could continue with her pondering, the timer for the cookies went off.

As she pulled the cookies from the oven, Jughead re-entered the kitchen. "My mom wants to know if I'm set for dinner or if she should save me a plate."

"I can throw something together for you. How do tuna sandwiches and macaroni and cheese sound?"

"That sounds great, thanks" Betty snickered as he left to finish talking to his mom, he'd prolly tell her to save him food anyway. She pulled out the last batch of cookies and then popped a little popcorn for the movie.

Jug came back into the kitchen and asked which movie she wanted to watch first so he could get it all setup. Betty was slightly shocked by this. Whenever Archie came over, he never asked her but just popped the movie he wanted in. She shook her head slightly; she needed to stop comparing Jug to Archie. "We should probably watch the scary one first… that way it won't be the last one on my mind."

As Betty sat down with the popcorn and a plate of cookies, Jughead turned on the movie. "Have you ever seen this one?" Betty asked, taking a bite of a cookie..

"No, but I heard it was really good."

As the movie played and the first corpse appeared on the screen, Betty was grossed out and turned her face from the movie. However, since Jug had one arm on the back of the couch, when she did that, it put her face in the crook of his shoulder. She pulled back surprised and blushed slightly. "Sorry… it's just a little to gross."

He laughed softly, "It's ok, I don't mind." He sat up straighter, which made him a little closer to her, and once again she could smell the scent she was so aware of last night and couldn't help but be comforted.

Jughead could feel his heart pounding in his chest being so close to her. Not to mention that every time she got scared and hid her face in his shoulder, he thought his heart would stop beating.

At a particular gory part of the movie, not only did she hide her face, but she also clung to him tightly, making him feel like his chest was going to explode. He almost wished the movie would never end cause he knew it was unlikely he'd ever get the change to be this close to her again.

Betty didn't really find the movie all that terrifying, and, even if she did, she had learned not to be so clingy. Archie didn't like her to cling to him during movies so she forced herself to stop. When the first scene of the corpse came up, however, it had caught her by surprise. She wasn't meaning to cling to Jug and was cursing herself for doing it, thinking he'd react the same way Archie had. But when he said it was ok… when he was willing to shelter her and make her feel safe, she took all she could get.

She had thought to herself several times through out the movie, 'how could two people who are such good friends be so different?' Then she remembered her and veronica, but even then is still boggled her mind when Jughead would treat her so different than the way Archie would.

Before the end of the movie, Jug had let his arm slide from its perch on the back of the couch and now it was around her shoulders. It had taken a long time for Jug to work up the nerve to do it and when he finally did it was while she was cringing against him from the movie. He had finally forced himself to do it the forth or fifth time she turned into his shoulder. When he felt her face touch his shoulder he held his breath and slid his arm down. He couldn't even bear to watch and see how she would react. Instead he kept his eyes on the screen, not daring to look at her.

When Betty felt Jughead's arm, she froze for a second. Two. Three. She looked up at Jug's face, looking for something, she wasn't sure what, but he gave nothing away. Four. Five. Then she shifted her position so that, instead of sitting properly on the couch, she had her legs tucked underneath her and she was sorta leaning against him.

When Jug first felt her shift, his heart almost stopped. 'oh crap oh crap oh crap. I've really screwed up. Now she'll probably hate me…' His heart felt like it had leapt into his throat when she settled against him. 'I must be dreaming… Oh God, if I am please don't wake me up.'

'This is nice,' Betty thought, 'Archie always hated when I wanted to do this…' (Didn't mind when Ronnie wanted to though did he?) She fought the tears that were threatening to come. 'Why is it whenever I'm doing something I enjoy without him? Have I made him that much a part of my life?' She shook her head and resumed to concentrate on the movie. She had plenty of time to think of HIM later that night. Right now she was enjoying herself with one of her friends. And she wasn't going to let Archie spoil it.

The credits began to roll and the two teenagers didn't move at first, both being way to comfortable. Betty was the first to move, not being able to accept how comfortable it was, how comfortable she was with him. She stood and took away the empty cookie plate and went into the kitchen.

"Do you want me to put in the next movie?" Jug asked, getting up from the couch.

"Sure! Do you want anything to drink? We have water, milk, orange juice, cola…"

"A cola is fine."

"Ok."

Jughead popped in the 'Wedding Singer' and sat back on the couch, his arms once more propped up along the back. His stomach was knotted up with large painful knots. Just looking at what remained in of the popcorn made him nauseous. He could still feel the warmth on his side where she had sat against him. Right then, the only wish within his heart was to be with her like that just one more time.

When Betty reentered the room he put back on his face of nonchalance, not wanting her to see the turmoil within his heart. "Thanks," he said, taking his drink from her and taking a sip. "What did you get?"

She lifted her drink to show him, "Orange juice." She took a long drink before setting her glass down on the coffee table and sitting on the couch like before, legs tucked under her and sitting against Jughead, leaning her head against his shoulder. She held her breath, hoping that what she just did was ok and that he wouldn't react negatively.

Jughead nearly choked when he felt her head come to rest against his shoulder. He said a quick prayer of thanks to whatever higher power that decided that he deserved this little piece of heaven as he brought his arms down around her shoulder.

Betty had to force herself not to let out a huge sigh of relief as his arm went around her. The last thing she wanted to do was alienate Jug. She yawned, 'Ugh,… I wish I had gotten to bed earlier,' she had been up late, going over the evening in her mind; everything had Jug had said and everything that had happened before. She shifted slightly, feeling a very nice, comforting warmth coming off his body. Every time she breathed in, his soothing scent filled her senses. She could feel all her tension and worries just drifting away.

When the movie was about an hour through the movie, Jug noticed that Betty's breathing was beginning to slow down. As another five minutes passed, her breathing became the slow, regular breathing of one who is fast asleep.

He looked down at her and, sure enough, her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open; she definitely wasn't awake. He smiled softly and gently pushed a stray hair away from her sweet , angelic face and watched her sleep for a few minutes before continuing to watch the movie, occasionally looking back down to see if she was still asleep.

WARNING : possibility for Spoilers for the movie Wedding Singer

By the time she woke up the movie had less than a minute left. She jerked awake in time to see the kiss on the plane turn into the 'you-may-kiss-the-bride' wedding scene.

Jug laughed "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!"

"You've got to be kidding!" Betty sat up. "I really slept through the end of the movie!"

He continued to laugh, "Yea you did" Then he added, rather quite playfully "and you were snoring…" he grinned "I could hardly hear the movie."

Betty's mouth fell open. "I don't snore!" She smacked his arm and laughed.

He grinned and poked her. "How do you know? You were asleep." He poked her again.

Betty let out a loud, almost bark-like laugh. A little known fact about Betty was that she was extremely ticklish. Her eyes got wide and she smacked at his hands before throwing herself towards the other side of the couch.

Jughead ceased all motion in surprise. Unfortunately for Betty it only lasted for a moment. He grinned evilly. "Why, Betty… are you ticklish?" He moved closer to Betty and her eyes got even wider.

"Juggie…" She put a hand up to block him. "Jug… don't… please? …Oh Juggie, don't you dare:

He grabbed her and pulled her closer. "Don't do what? This?" He started running his fingers over her rib cage.

"Ahhh!" She pulled her hand out of his grasp. "Forsythe Pendleton Jones! Ah hahahaha! Stop right now!" Tears were starting to fall from laughing so hard. Using his real name only caused him to double his efforts. She decided to fight fire with fire and attacked HIS ribs.

Jug jumped and let out an odd sounding giggle. "Aw, come on Betty!" More giggling, "It was more fun the other way!"

They continued their little tickle fight for several minutes more, Betty eventually grabbed his hands to keep him from tickling her, but in the process is unable to tickle him.

Betty was pretty much on top of him as both of them were gasping for air. As their breathing started to become normal, they became increasingly aware of how close there faces were, also that time seemed to have stopped. Betty's eyes were captured by the intensity of his gaze and felt as though she couldn't move. All thought had basically stopped.

Jughead's thoughts, on the other hand, were moving quite rapidly. 'Should I kiss her?'

'No, she's still heartbroken over Archie.'

'But the mood is perfect!'

'But what if that's not what she wants? What if it would cause her to freak out? What if it makes her hate me?"

'What if it doesn't?'

It was after this thought he realized their faces were getting closer, both of them were moving closer. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears and suddenly his mouth felt dry. 'Oh my God! …This is really happening… I'm about to kiss Betty.' He slightly licked his lips and was ready to let whatever would happen, happen.

Betty's thoughts were all in a haze. She didn't' know how she thought or felt really about this situation… all she knew was that she didn't care, and that this seemed right somehow.

Their lips were just about to touch when the phone rang. They both jump at the sudden noise and they both blush, feeling very self-conscious about what was just about to happen.

Betty pulled away, blushing hotly. "I-I need to answer the phone…" She walked over to the phone and lifted the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Betts!" It was Archie's voice that came out of the receiver. Her head spun and she suddenly felt sick. "…hey…"

He didn't notice her hesitation or the awkwardness in her voice; he just kept talking. "My parents are out late tonight. Why don't you come over and make me dinner?"

She gritted her teeth and swallowed back the words she wished she had the courage to say and instead said as pleasantly as she could, "I'm sorry, Archie, but I already have plans."

"Doing what?"

She sighed. "If you must know, I'm spending the evening hanging out with Jughead."

"He'll understand. Just come on over, you know how much I love your cooking."

Bitter tears came to Betty's eyes, "You are absolutely unbelievable Archie Andrews!"

"What's wrong Betty?"

"What's wrong! You haven't even apologized to me or anything, and you want me to make you dinner?"

"…So you're still mad about last night?"

She stared at the phone in her hand, not believing that he just said that. "of course I am!" Her shoulders slumped as all the anger and fight fell out of her voice leaving nothing but sadness. You promised me Archie… but you've broken that promise just like every other promise you've made to me before." She lost control of herself and a sob escaped her lips as several tears fought their way down her face. She paused a moment to regain composure before continuing, wiping the tears from her face.

Jughead felt helpless, all he could do was sit and watch Betty cry. He wished he could hold her and kiss away her tears. But he knew, however, that not only did he not have the right to do it, but also it probably wouldn't be welcomed.

Betty dropped her hand to her side and let out a heavy sigh. "This is it Archie… I've had enough and now I'm done."

"Done? What do you mean?" Archie could be stupid sometimes, especially over things he didn't WANT to understand.

"It's over between us"

"What! How can you say that?"

"Look Archie, I'm sick and tired of having my dreams dashed and my heart broken time and time again… All you'll ever do is hurt me, and I'm not going to let it happen anymore. …I still care about you, Archie… and I'll always be your friend. But I am no longer your girlfriend." She let out a breath, there… she finally said it… and she really meant it this time.

"But Betty…" He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Another tear slid down her cheek. "Goodbye Archie." She hung up the phone and buried her face in her hands, letting the tears flow freely.

Jughead stood up and walked over to Betty. He put his arms around her and rubbed her back comfortingly, occasionally running his fingers through her hair. He murmured soft soothing word into her ear. "sh… it's ok Betty… everything's going to be alright." He moved then, over to the couch and sat them both down and he just held her. He held her until she cried herself into an exhausted sleep.

End of Chapter 2: Saturday

(A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry this took so long to get up but it's been pretty hectic for me. I've finally moved out of my parents house and getting ready for college. . now that things are settling down I should have more time to type and get my stories up. Until next time, thank you my lovely readers for sticking with me, and please don't forget to review ;) ).


	3. Sunday

A/N: I am SOOOO embarrassed for taking so long to update… I don't know where the time went… it doesn't help that I started college and got a serious job. I apologize to all my loyal fans, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you. And I am working on the next chapter.

Betty woke up the next morning and found herself upstairs on her bed. She stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. It was only then that she noticed that she was still in the clothes she was wearing the afternoon before.

At first, she was confused: not remembering anything that had happened last night. 'Oh, that's right… Jughead was here… but that doesn't explain why I'm in bed with my clothes still on… What else happened…ah, we watched two movies… but there must be more…' She wrinkled her brow as pieces were slowly coming together. 'ok… there was a phone call…' her eyes widened, 'Archie!' She covered her face with her hands and groaned. She did it. She finally did it and meant it. Also, she had no doubt that Jug would support and comfort her like he did the night before. She paused for a moment as the thoughts seeped in. She flopped back against the pillow. He had held her for at least and hour or two and then she…. Then she what?

She sat up again and it was then she noticed she wasn't under her comforter. 'If I was too tired to not change into pajamas… then why would I get a spare blanket instead of getting under the covers…and why can't I remember anything past Jughead comforting me after the phone call?'

Her eyes widened in horror as realization hit her. 'oh no… he didn't…' She tried to convince herself that she was wrong but every way she looked at it, the answer is still the same. Not only did he spend hours comforting her, but he also put her to bed.

'Oh no…' she murmured, pulling the blanket over her head, wishing he could stay there.

When she finally pulled herself out of bed and went downstairs, she noticed there were no dishes where she had left them. She looked around and seen them stacked neatly in the chance so they could dry, a note left next to them on the counter.

Morning Betts,

You were so exhausted last night so if figured I should help clean up. Thanks for inviting me over. You got really upset last night, I hope you're feeling better now. I'll stop by your house around 10 and I'll take you out for breakfast or something.

Jughead

P.S. I hope you weren't too embarrassed that I put you to bed.

The P.S ended with a smiley face :P. Betty laughed, 'I should have known Jughead would know that I would have been self-conscious. He seems to just notice and remember everything.' She stopped suddenly realizing something about the letter. '10… he'll be here at 10?!' She looked at the clock. 9:30. She started to panic. "OMG! He'll be here in thirty minutes and I still haven't showered and I'm in the clothes from yesterday!' She rushed upstairs and hurried into the shower, making sure to shave under her arms. She was in such a hurry that she almost forgot to wash her hair.

She had ten minutes until Jug was supposed to be there and she still had to do her make-up, pick out what she would wear and do her hair.

'Oh God, I hope he doesn't come early' she thought as she was putting on her mascara and paused just as the brush touched her eyelash. 'Wait… why do I even care about how I look to Jughead?!

(Because what he thinks matters to you.)

She finished putting on her make-up and went to her closet 'But didn't used to be that way…'

(Well, you hardly noticed him at all before. Your life revolved around Archie; he was all that you could see.)

She bit her bottom lip and blocked out the voice, which seemed to be coming around much to offer for her liking, and went about picking her outfit. She wanted to look nice, but she didn't want to look like she was trying to look nice. She settled on a pair of black stretch jeans with a form fitting, baby-blue sweater that really brought out her eyes.

She quickly pulled her hair back into her everyday ponytail and after a slight hesitation she tied a ribbon into her hair that was made of the same material as her sweater.

Just as she finished tying the bow, she heard a knock come from the front door. She looked out the window and seen Jughead on the front porch. "The door's open, Juggie!" She checked her hair in the mirror once more before heading toward the stairs, humming softly to herself.

Jug looked toward the stairs when he heard her coming down, and when he saw her he almost had to physically keep his jaw from dropping to the floor. Sure she wasn't dressed fancy… but she still looked amazing. The color of her sweater made her eyes seem to glow and it went perfectly with her hair and completion.

When Betty came downstairs, she had saw the look of pure adoration and froze. However, as soon as she saw the look, it was gone and she wondered if she might have imagined it.

"Mornin' Betts." Jug said, grinning at her. "Ready to go for breakfast? Remember, it's my treat so you order whatever you want."

Betty grinned, "I take it breakfast will be at Pop's?"

Jughead laughed. "Of course! Where else could I get hamburgers for breakfast."

She made a face. "You aren't really ordering hamburgers for breakfast are you??" He didn't answer, just grinned at her. She rolled her eyes. "Let me get my coat and we can go." It was rather warm for February, but it definitely wasn't warm enough to go without some form of jacket.

While Betty's back was turned while she went to the closet for her coat, several things were happening:

First of all, Jug was mentally beating himself up for letting his emotion play on his face. 'You'd think I'd have no problem after doing it every day for most of my life. It would just be horrible for me to scare her off now.'

Secondly, Betty's face was starting to flush as she seriously started considering what it would mean if he really was looking at her that way. Could it really be possible? Could Jughead, the woman hater, truly have feelings for average, girl-next-door-Betty? And if so, how should she feel about it? How could she even consider this when her heart has belonged to Archie for so long? She shook the thoughts out of her head, knowing full well that if she kept that train of thought going it would end in a headache, plus she gets rather spacey when her thoughts overwhelmed her and she didn't want him to think she might be crazy.

So she put her coat on and forced a smile on her face, belying her messy, troubling thoughts, and turned to face Jug, who unbeknownst to her, was doing the same thing.

"So…" Jughead started with his hands in his pockets. The awkward tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife.

They both just started laughing, not knowing what else to do, and neither knowing why the other was so tense.

Jughead and grinned sheepishly and extended his arm to her. "Shall we?"

Playing off of what Jug did last night, Betty did a mock curtsy before taking his arm. "Thank you, kind sir."

Jug shook his head and chuckled. He walked her to the door and held it open for her. As she passed through the door, they both let out a mental sigh of relief as the tipping balance between them righted itself.

Their walk was pleasant with quiet conversation. When they finally entered the Chocklit Shoppet, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to them. Betty was absolutely shinning with happiness and no one had ever seen her smile shine so bright then when it did on that moment on Jughead's arm.

Jughead hardly seemed like the same person; He was standing up straight, his clothes were some-what neat, his eyes were actually open, and he no longer had that bored expression on his face. He was actually smiling, almost beaming.

When Pop Tate caught Jug's eye, he raised his eyebrow and smirked. Jug just grinned and shrugged his shoulders before turning to smile at Betty. When he looked at Betty, however, the color had drained from her face and she just stared at the booth in the corner of the diner with wide eyes.

His eyes followed her and his heart fell at what had given her such a reaction. Veronica was on Archie's lap and was cooing over him. It really shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was a violent shock back to reality. Betty wasn't his girl, she wasn't really here with him.

He pushed back his feelings and focused on Betty. She was hurting and needed him, even if she didn't know it yet.

He took her hand and squeezed it, causing her to tear her eyes away from the scene that had her frozen where she stood.

"Betty…" he said softly, bringing his free hand to soothing rub her hand he held. She met his eyes and felt something grip his heart. His eyes… in them she seen pain, pain in which he was feeling it also stemmed from something more, but she wasn't ready for that yet.

She gave Jug a brave smile and nodded her head. "I'm ok… change doesn't happen overnight… but it does happen."

He smiled back and nodded, "You're a strong woman, Betty Cooper… I'm here if you need me." He went to kiss her cheek, but hesitated and thought better of it. Instead, he pulled her into one of the booths where her back was to Archie and Veronica.

Betty noticed what he almost did, and it filled her head with thoughts and questions; pushing Archie completely out of the picture.

Jug noticed her change in temperament and was scared for a second, unsure if this as a good thing or a really bad one. Then he noticed she didn't even glance back towards Archie and Veronica. He chewed the inside of his lip thoughtfully. Luckily, Pop came to take their order and broke whatever tension that may have been brewing. Jug mentally thanked his lucky stars and gave his order. "I'll have your jumbo stack pancakes and an order of bacon…" he grinned at Betty, "and is it too early for a hamburger?"

Betty just laughed and shook her head. Pop chuckled, knowing full well that he was just joking. "And what will you have, Betty?"

"Um…" She glanced at the menu. She came her often but hardly ever for breakfast. "I'll have what Jug's having except make it a short stack," she eyed Jughead "and leave out the hamburger." She made a funny face at him, sticking her tongue out.

Pop just looked at the pair of laughing teens with a raised eyebrow. This was new… he always suspected that Jug kinda had a thing for Betty, but from the looks of it, it wouldn't be for naught. The way she was looking at him said that they wouldn't be unreturned. He smirked to himself as he realized that neither of them had any idea of what the other's interest was. "I'll be right back with your orders."

The pair were still giggling and didn't notice that Archie and Veronica were walking up.

"Morning, Betty, darling. How have you been?" She sat next to Jug in the booth, forcing Archie to sit next to Betty. Archie had told her what Betty told him last night and she just felt the need to stir things up.

Archie slid into the booth next to Betty, his body language was slightly tense.

Betty glanced at Archie, then looked at Veronica, 'She can be so cruel' she thought. Then she looked at Jug and found him looking at her. The expression on his face made her stomach flip. It was a look mixed with concern and some other things which she couldn't bring herself to name.

Jug felt like hitting Veronica. By the look on her face, he knew that she knew exactly what she was doing. He glanced at Betty, worrying about how this was affecting her and seen that she was looking at Archie. He felt jealousy surge through him, and he felt like pulling her across the table and holding her close to him.

"So, Betty," Veronica said in a sickly sweet voice, "How'd you enjoy the dance? Did you have a good weekend?"

Betty looked at her, wide eyed and tears started to come. Jug was just about to take Betty out of there when he saw her lips starting to tremble. But, right before he stood up, he saw her face harden.

"Actually , I did have a pretty good time" She looked away from Veronica and smiled warmly at Jug, who felt a slight flush go to his cheeks. "Couldn't have been better."

Jug couldn't bear the heaviness of her stare or the moment. He looked down at the table.

Archie looked at her, hurt evident in his eyes. Feeling his gaze upon her, she turned to him; her face slightly apologetic, showing that it wasn't intended to hurt him. Then she turned back to Veronica. Her face showing no weakness, just beaming self confidence.

Suddenly, Veronica felt horrible. It had just hit her, the hell she was putting Betty through. All of a sudden, Veronica didn't see her as a rival any more, but as the best friend she's had for almost ten years. Her eyes started to tear up as she was caught in Betty's gaze. "I'm sorry, Betty" She said a single tear rolled down her cheek. It took seeing her happy to realize how awful she had been treating her.

Betty smiled at her and nodded, bearing no ill will. Ronnie got up and hugged Betty. She opened her mouth and closed it again, trying to find some way to explain the horrible way she had been treating Betty but not being able to complete a word.

Betty patted her hand, "It's in the past now. Let's have a clean slate, ok?"

Veronica smiled and nodded as she wiped the tears from her face and hugged Betty again. "I'd like that very much. But how could you even be considering… I've done the most despicable things to you… and you'll still be my friend?"

Betty grinned, "What are best friends for?"

Ronnie hugged Betty to her tightly and pecked her on the cheek. "Never again," she stated, her eyes getting rather misty. "I won't fail you again."

Betty just smiled and nodded. Veronica left the table and went back to her own.

Archie turned to Betty, "So… you're ok?"

Betty smiled warmly at him, "Yea… I am."

The pained look was still in his eyes. Could he really have hurt her so much that she was happier without him? He tried to smile, show that he was happy for her new found happiness, but it turned out as a grimace. Then he noticed the look on Jug's face and couldn't help but wonder how deeply he was involved in this and how close he was to Betty. "I'll see you guys later."

Once he was gone, Betty let out a shuddery sigh and rested her head on her hands, shield her face for Jughead.

He placed his hand over the one she still had on the table and squeezed it. "Hey… are you ok?" When she looked up, Jug could see all the strain that the whole occurrence actually put on her.

"I didn't expect that to be so hard." She said quietly, her eyes getting slightly misty.

He rubbed her hand soothingly. "You did good, Betty. It had to be done and you handed it beautifully." She gave him a brave smile and wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall.

Then Pop brought their food and they ate in comfortable silence.

That was the third chapter. Again, I apologize it took so long. The next chapter shouldn't take nearly as long to put up.


	4. Sunday Evening

Chapter 4: Sunday Evening

I'm still embarrassed for taking so long in updating my story, to make up for it by quickly adding another chapter. The horrible thing is I've had Chapter 3 and 4 done for quite a while, I just haven't had time to type and post them.

After they finished eating Jughead paid the bill (This shocked both Betty and Pop). Then they walked out the door, calling out their goodbyes to Pop, Veronica and Archie. Archie didn't say anything, he just kind of stared after them, and kept staring in the direction they went long after they were out of view.'

Veronica, however; jumped up right our of their both and hopped onto the barstool next to Pop. "Do you know something I don't?" she asked quietly. She had a feeling their was something going on and she hated being left out of the loop.

"No one's said anything to me," Pop Said with a shrug. "But I know what you mean. Jughead and Betty are acting kinda strange." He glanced at Archie, making sure he wasn't listening, then he whispered, "My theory is that there's something going on between them, but" He said, cutting off whatever Veronica was about to say, "I don't think either of even realize it."

Veronica scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I think that they like each other more than just as friends, but I don't think they know that the other feels the same." Normally, Pop wouldn't have trusted Veronica enough to let her in on to Betty's interests, but after their little exchange earlier he was confident that she wouldn't pull anything. Plus, she never really got along with Jughead.

Veronica's eyes widened and she brought her perfectly manicured nails to her mouth but she didn't say anything. After a few moments, the shock wore off. "You know…" She said, lightly strumming her nails on the counter, "I bet if they were left to their own devices, they wouldn't never admit anything and they'd go nowhere."

Pop raised one eyebrow, "You have something in mind?"

Veronica grinned devilishly and nodded. She leaned over the counter and whispered her plan to him. When she finished she sat back on the stool with a self-satisfied smirk on her face and Pop was grinning. "What do you think?" she asked.

He grinned and nodded his approval. "I think that just might work."

Betty and Jughead took the long way back toward where they live, going through the park. They were laughing and goofing off the whole way.

However, as they neared Betty's house, the mood suddenly became grim and tense. They both grew quiet as they got to her porch. Both wanted to stay in the other's company, but neither wanted to be obvious about it.

Betty's eyes lit up as she remembered something, "Oh, I finally got that Cinderella album I'd been wanting, you know, the one with _Nobody's Fool_ on it." Betty and Jug really liked Cinderella. "Did you wanna stay and hang a little while? I'll put on the CD and we could play a board game or something." Jughead readily agreed, ecstatic that he was able to spend more time with her.

Time passed extremely fast for both of them. When it came to be 4:30 Jughead knew he had to get home for supper. Just as they finished cleaning up and he was about to lave, the phone rang. Betty answered it, "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Mrs. Jones, is my son there?"

"One moment," she held the phone out to Jug, "It's your mom."

He took the phone from her. "Yeah… Yeah, I was just about to leave… I don't' know, hold on." He held the phone away from his mouth, "Mom wants to know if you wanna come over and have dinner with us. She made spaghetti and that there'll be plenty if you want to come over."

Betty grinned, "She does remember who she has for a son, right?" They both laughed and she nodded, "I'd love to."

"Yeah mom" he said into the receiver, "She's coming over." He listened as his mom continued to speak. "Yeah, ok mom… love you too… bye." He hung up the phone and turned to Betty. "She said it's almost done and we should come on over."

"Ok…" Betty said quietly, suddenly self-conscious, 'It's been forever since I've been to Jughead's house at all, let alone for dinner.' She thought as she grabbed her coat and followed Jughead out the door.

Jughead noticed her sudden change in mood because she kept tugging at her sleeves. 'I wonder what brought this on….' He thought. The he tried to think of something to distract her. "Our essay is due Wednesday in Grundy's class, right?"

Betty nodded, "Yeah."

"Did you finish yours?"

"Uh-huh."

"Would you mind taking a look at mine before you go back home?"

"Sure Jug, but I don't really see why you'd want me to… You're a very good writer when you actually do the assignment."

Jug smiled sheepishly as she pointed out his laziness. "True… but I always like to have somebody at least edit it. I can never see my own mistakes… Besides," he grinned at her, "Who better to have edit my paper than the girl who's the best writer in class. Plus you're the editor for the school paper."

"A-alright." Betty said as she blushed at his compliment and she began to realize just how much his opinions seemed to mean to her. Yeah, she might have blushed a little anyway, but she knew it wouldn't, shouldn't, have affected her this much.

She tried to push what she was feeling away because she knew how perceptive Jug was and didn't want him picking up on anything, if he hadn't already.

Jug began to relax as he felt her start to calm down. "You ready to face tomorrow?" He asked softly.

"Yeah… I think so," she said. "It helps that Ronnie and I already settled things." She gnawed at her lower lip, "It's probably a good thing we ran into them today."

Jughead nodded and had a slight grimace. "Yeah… although I know that had to be painful."

"Actually… " she said, "I expected it to be much worse." She broke eye contact with him and stared at their feet as they walked. "I think it was easier 'cause you were there."

He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I know you don't really feel like it, but you're a strong person Betty; the strongest person I know."

Betty blushed and Jughead chuckled as he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his house, where the aroma of noodles, tomato sauce filled her senses.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to make sure it doesn't take another year to update after this. All reviews are welcome, but if any are negative please let them be constructive.


	5. Monday Morning and Sunday Night's Memori

Chapter 5: Monday Morning and Sunday Night's Memories

Betty's POV

A loud ringing woke Betty to bright sunlight shinning in her eyes. She stretched and a lazy smile spread across her face as the memories of last night ran though her mind. She had a wonderful time with Jughead and his family. After they ate, Betty and Jug did the dishes for his mom and they watched a movie and had some popcorn.

It was almost nine o'clock when Jughead offered to walk her back home. "Thanks for going over my paper Betts."

"No problem. There wasn't much for me to correct anyway." She laughed, "I always had to basically rewrite Archie's papers for him." Tension suddenly filled the space between them and they felt too close to each other. Betty wrapped her arms around her middle as she berated herself for bringing him up.

"Are you cold?"

Betty looked up and seen Jughead looking at her with concern. "Kinda" she lied, not wanting to explain her sudden unease and self-conciousness. Before she could say anything more, he pulled his sweatshirt off over his head. It was the special one with the "s" on it. He avoided making eye contact with her as he handed it to her. Betty was so shocked that she actually stopped walking. "But… you didn't have to…" She seemed unable to complete a sentence.

If she didn't know better, she would think that Jughead was blushing. "It's no big deal, Bettys. I was getting too warm anyway. She bit her lip and pulled the sweatshirt over her head, not wanting to make a scene and start backpedaling. As the material passed over her head, her senses were filled with the scent that took her back to the dance when Jughead was holding her close as they swayed to the music. His hands were firm but gentle, as if she may break if he held her too tightly.

She suddenly became aware that Jughead was looking at her and she started blushing furiously. "Th-thanks, Juggie." She managed to mutter, extremely thankful for the bad lighting. The sweatshirt was pleasantly warm against her skin, the heat coming from Jug's body heat when he wore it. She closed her eyes and wished that the thoughts would stop. She couldn't bear thinking of Jughead that way. It almost seemed… wrong. Not only was she trying to get over a long time love, but Jug is that love's best friend. Plus, she couldn't bear to think about how he may react if he knew her thoughts.

"I think I'll give the essay to Grundy tomorrow… How surprised do you think she'll be?"

Betty laughed; glad to have something else to focus on. "She'd be surprised if she got it on the day it was due."

Jug laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah… I decided I'm going to stop slacking off. I mean, our junior year is almost over… I'm running out of time to get my grades up so I can get into a decent college.

"That's great, Juggie! I'm proud that you're finally taking initiative. Do you know what kind of career you're going for?"

"Well… for a while I thought about becoming a chef… but I figured the food would never get to customers. Then I thought about becoming some sort of psychiatrist or counselor, but that's just not me…" He stopped talking and just stared at the sidewalk.

Betty was about to ask what was wrong, then she noticed the concentration on his face. She realized that he was thinking about what to say. It would be best to just wait and listen even though they were almost to the house and were running out of time.

"Alright" he gently touched her elbow, bringing her to a stop. She turned to face him as he continued. "I have never told anyone any of this, but since Jellybean born, I've realized how much a person can influence kids." He paused. She could tell it was difficult and a little embarrassing for him to reveal this to her. "It made me realize that I want to do something that will have a big impact on the lives of children… I want to be a teacher."

Betty felt her heart well up with emotion. She never thought that he could possibly feel that way, that he could be so deep. She placed a hand on his arm, "Jug, I…that's great. I think you would be really good at that."

She seen Jughead blush and shove his hands into his pockets. "So what career are going to go for?" He asked, switching the focus off himself and onto her. "I know you have a lot to choose from; lawyer, doctor, psychologist…"

Betty grinned. "Actually… I've never really wanted to do any of those things."

Jug cocked his head to the side, "Really?"

"Yeah… I've always wanted to teach elementary school…"She suddenly noticed how close he was standing t her and fell quiet. The air hung heavily around them and she felt like she was being pulled closer to him by unknown hands. His face seemed to get closer to her and she was sure they were about to kiss. Then Jug quickly pulled back, breaking the spell that had suddenly came over them. "I better get going; mom's gonna wonder what's keeping me."

"Y-yeah" Betty said, noticing that he was trying not to look at her. She was still wondering if she may have been imagining the whole event.

Then he looked her in the eye. "Are you going to be alright by yourself?"

Betty nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks Juggie." As he turned to walk away, his hands deep in his pockets, she noticed his arms were bare. "Oh, Juggie, your sweatshirt."

"Keep it" he called over his shoulder, "I'll get if back from you tomorrow." Then his speed seemed to pick up as he went down the block.

*end flashback*

Betty stretched out her arms, mixed feelings were going through her as she went over last night's interactions and her hands brushed something that didn't feel like anything she normally had on her bed. She craned her neck to look by her hand and seen Jughead's sweater. Before she knew what she was doing she had the sweater in her hands, pressing it against her face. This really scared her. For years and years she had obsessed over one thing; Archie. How could she just switch? And what makes this time different from all the other times she tried to get over Archie? She looked into her hands at Jughead's sweatshirt. Jughead. "That's it," she whispered. It wasn't' just that she was moving on, was it? What if she was just using Jug as an easy way to get over Archie? And what if he didn't see her the same way? This could just ruin everything if she pushed for something that wasn't there. She bit her lip and started to tremble. No, she just couldn't let that happen. 'He's done too much for me to use him and there is no way I'm going to ruin this friendship.' She sighed and went to get ready for school, the day had definitely lost it's appeal.

Jughead's POV

There was a loud ringing. Jug rolled over to the nighstand and threw the alarm clock that was sitting there across the room, causing the batteries to fall out. 'I can't believe I almost blew everything' he thought bitterly as he sat up and threw the blankets off himself. 'What would she have done if I actually kissed her?' He let out a slight moan as hundreds of horrible possibilities popped into his head; things like her slapping him, her breaking down crying, never talking to him again, and much more.

As he dragged himself into the shower, he smacked his open palm against the shower wall and turned the water on to a very hot temperature, quickly filling the room with steam.

He came so close… so close to doing what he had longed to do for so many years… so close to finally realizing what it would be like… so close to (blowing everything). He couldn't let it happen again. Even if she did react favorably, he'd be taking advantage of her. There is no way he could let that happen… he'd make sure of it… even if he died inside.

They didn't see each other on the way to school that morning, both of them were kind of afraid to see each other. When they passed each other in the hall, they barely even acknowledged each other. Veronica noticed this sudden change in behavior and couldn't ignore it any longer when they practically sat on opposite sides of Ms. Grundy's class at the end of the day.

She leaned over to Jug, "What the heck happened?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know darn well what I'm talking about" snapped Veronica, "You and Betty!"

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "What about Betty and me?"

Veronica sighed in frustration. He never made anything else easy for her, why should she have expected this to be any different? "You don't know what I'm talking about? How could you two e having breakfast together one day, and the next won't talk or even look at each other? Something happened between you guys, now spill!"

Jug sat there with his mouth agape but before he could respond, Ms. Grundy came into the room and called everyone's attention to start class, making it impossible for them to continue their conversation. Jug sighed in relief, thankful for at least the time to think. Ronnie made even that difficult by spending the whole class glaring at him as if trying to will the answers out of him.

When the bell rang, Jug was about to spring out of the classroom to avoid Veronica when Grundy called him to her desk. 'Great', he thought, 'now she'll be waiting for me and I'll have to talk to her.'

As he went to the teacher's desk, he had to pass by Betty. Again, they avoided each other's gaze. Then, somebody (Veronica) jostled Jughead, forcing him into Betty. They were forced to grab each other's arms to keep from falling down; their bodies became closer than they would have consciously let them.

Veronica watched with a self-satisfied smirk as she could practically see sparks coming from them.

For a few seconds that felt like a lifetime, Betty and Jughead were caught in each other's gaze.

Suddenly Betty shook her head, muttered sorry and pushed past him, trying to get out of the classroom as fast as she could.

Jug stared after her, wanting with all his heart to follow her, but knew in his head he shouldn't… couldn't. He turned sadly and went to the teacher's desk, "Yes, Ms. Grundy?" then he seen what she had in her hand; his essay. He had given it to her this morning when he stopped by her class right before school started.

"You really amazed me, Jones." She knew he hated his first name, and she couldn't stand his nickname, so she compromised by calling him by his last name. "Not only did you turn in an assignment early, but it was an 'A' paper." Jug's eyes widened slightly in surprise as Grundy shook her head in amazement. "I always knew you had the ability. I'm glad you're finally taking initiative, but I must ask about what brought on this sudden change."

Betty's face instantly came to the front of his mind. Yes, he told her it was because he wanted a future, and it is a big reason, but it's not the biggest. The number one reason was that he wanted to impress Betty and wanted to make himself more like her, feel closer to her. He flushed a little about thinking of her and gave Grundy the lesser reason. "I just realized I was running out of time. High school's almost over and I'm not ready for college yet. I just hope it's not too late."

Grundy smiled kindly at him, "You were not an "A" student, but you did manage to get by. I don't' believe you're failing any of your classes, so if you keep this up, you should be in good shape. "

Since they had nothing else to talk about they said their goodbyes and Jughead went into the hall and seen Betty and Veronica talking. He stopped and hid himself at the corner of the lockers, partly because he didn' want to talk to Veronica, but he was also curious as to what they were talking about because he was sure it was going to be similar to what she wanted to talk to him about. Apparently the conversation had been going on a while when he stepped close enough to hear.

"Enough Ronnie! I said I don't' want to be with him and I mean it! It's not how I want things." Jug felt as if his heart was being pulled out of his chest. No, he never really expected her to return his feelings, but to hear her say it was more than he could bear. He turned around and as quickly as he could without drawing attention o himself, left the hallway. Since school was over, he went straight home.

*Author's note* I am SOOOOOOO sorry that I took this long to post this. It's a really complicated. I went to a new college, living off campus, my house flooded, destroying the notes I had made and I had to start from scratch what I had after the fourth chapter. . Plus new classes and work. Yeah. A lot has been going on. But now that school is over I am hoping to re-work out the rest of the story. Thank you all for being so patient and I should have the next chapter posted within a week or so. Sooner if I can manage.


	6. Monday Afternoon

Chapter 6 Monday Afternoon

**"Enough Ronnie! I said I don't' want to be with him and I mean it! It's not how I want things." Jug felt as if his heart was being pulled out of his chest. No, he never really expected her to return his feelings, but to hear her say it was more than he could bear. He turned around and as quickly as he could without drawing attention o himself, left the hallway. Since school was over, he went straight home.**

As Jug left, the conversation continued.

"Well, if you don't want to be with Archie, then why are you and Juggie so cold and distant?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Jug and I are just friends; there is nothing more between us. And-"Betty said, cutting off Ronnie's next words, "even if there was ANYTHING I felt for ANYBODY, it's too soon for me. I don't' want to use him as a rebound.

Veronica noticed that Betty slipped and said 'him' but didn't point it out to her because she at least subconsciously admitted to having feelings for Jughead and told her the reason for her distance. 'Plus she probably thinks he doesn't like her back' she thought, that would be humble, modest Betty. Instead she sighed, "Fine… you're right. I'm sorry."

Betty looked at her funny for giving up so easily, but quickly moved away from her. As she went on her way, she realized that the conversation had brought up a troubling thought: 'What if Jughead noticed this and came to the same conclusion? Is that why he's been avoiding me?' she thought. 'Or is he just embarrassed over last night?' A feeling of dread fell over her. 'He probably doesn't like me that way, but knows I like him.'

She practically ran home. However, as she was rounding a corner, she ran into somebody and they both fell to the ground with her in his lap. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I-"She started, but when she opened her eyes and seen who she ran into she fell silent. It was Jughead.

"Betty..." Jughead breathed. The moment seemed to stretch on forever, but neither of them could move. Jug gazed up at Betty as she was looking down at him, a stay stand of hair coming to rest in front of her face. Before he realized what he was doing, Jug found himself reaching up to tuck the strand behind her ear. His fingers gently brushing her cheek and he felt her tremble.

"Hey! You guys ok?" The spell was broken as they both looked up at the person approaching them; Archie. They rushed to their feet, grabbed their stuff off the sidewalk and tried to put some distance between them.

"We're fine" they said together, and then looked at each other guiltily.

"You sure? That was a pretty nasty fall.

Betty nodded, keeping her eyes focused on the ground, a faint blush across her cheeks.

"Mind if I walk with you Betty?" Archie asked. He smiled at her charmingly, like he used to when they were dating.

Jughead clenched his fists inside his pockets, jealousy starting to surge through him.

Betty felt her stomach roll and felt slightly light headed. She glanced at Jughead, "N-no… I guess not."

"Great!" he said, pushing past Jughead and pulled Betty into the direction of her house.

Betty looked back at Jug; her eyes were wide, pleading with him to help her. 'Please,' she thought, 'Don't let me be alone with him.' She wasn't sure if she could handle it on her own if he tried to make things go back to the way they were.

Jug didn't say anything, but he nodded to her and fell into step behind them without any hesitation.

Archie through his arm over Betty's shoulders and was chatting away. Both Betty and Jughead were too involved in their own thought to pay attention to anything he was saying.

"Betty?"

"Hmm?" Betty was jerked out of her musings as Archie addressed her directly. "I'm sorry" she said, shaking her head so her thoughts were placed in the back of her mind. "What were you saying?"

"Well, our paper for Gundy's class is due Wednesday, and you know how horrible I am at writing. I was wondering it if you'd help me write the paper."

They had reached the front of Betty's house. She turned to him. "How much have you already written?"

Archie's ears turned a little pink and grinned self-consciously. "Well… that's the problem. I don't really know how to start."

"Well… what topic are you going to write about?"

"Ummm…"

"What themes are you going to discuss?"

"Well…"

Betty understood. Archie still wanted her to write his papers for him. She frowned at him.

Archie shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "You know I'm not good at this type of stuff, Betty. That's why I need you to help me."

"And I would help you Archie," she said angrily, putting her hands on her hips, "If what you wanted from me was help. But you don't want help; you want me to write it for you. And that's working against you." She shook her head. "I'm sorry Archie, but I'm not going to write your papers for you anymore."

Archie was speechless. Even when Betty was angry with him before she never denied 'helping' him with his homework. He looked at Jughead for support and noticed the essay in his hand on top of his notebook. "what the-" He pulled it out of Jug's hand and his eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw the grade written at the top of the paper. "What's this? The last paper we turned in was last month and you only got a 'C'. What is this for and how did you get an 'A'?"

Jughead took the paper back from Archie. "It's the paper that's due Wednesday, I turned it into Grundy this morning."

Archie just stared at him; his face was frozen in shock and disbelief. Then he got angry and turned to Betty. "What, you won't help me with my paper but you'll help Jughead with his?"

Betty opened her mouth but no sound came out. Jug came to her rescue. "Hey, lay off man." He laid his hand on Archie's shoulder, "All she did was edit it. I already had it written."

Archie angrily pulled away from Jug, his eyes portraying a feeling of betrayal. "Whatever." He said, stomping off toward his house.

Betty let out a shuddery sigh and sank down on the step of her house. She propped her arms on her knees and let her head fall down on them.

Jughead watched Archie go for a minute while several emotions began warring inside him. At first he felt guilty. He felt like he should be going after his friend and reassuring him. Friendship always came before girls… right? Then he felt angry; Archie had no right to be upset with Betty. He has been abusing her and her kindness for years. She was a person too, and she had the right to do what she wanted. Then he felt sad because he was sure he was going to end up having to choose between his best friend and the girl of his dreams.

He snapped himself out of his thoughts. Betty needed him; he could beat himself up and wallow in self-pity later. He sat next to Betty and tentatively put a hand on her shoulder; he couldn't stop thinking about what he overheard and didn't want to overstep his boundaries. "You ok Betts?"

Betty looked up at him. For a split second all of the doubts she had about how he felt about her came rushing back to her, but she was able to throw them right back out. She buried her head into his chest and wrapper her arms around his waist. She didn't care if he only saw her as a friend, he was offering her comfort and she would be damned if she didn't take it.

Jug's eyes widened in surprise, he froze for a few seconds, not sure what he should do before he finally wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

After a while, Betty let go of him and sat back. "Th-thank you Juggie… I don't' know what I'd do if…" She though quickly, making sure her real feelings were going to shine through, "If I didn't have a friend as good as you to count on."

He forced a smile, not wanting to show that the word 'friend' really stung; her conversation with Veronica still burning in his mind. He decided to ask her about it. "I saw Veronica talking to you after class. She's not up to her old tricks again is she?"

"No, she was just being her nosey, gossipy self. She was trying to find out if…" she hesitated. She was such a bad liar and Jug was so good at picking p on that stuff anyway. She decided that she should just leave some things out. "-if I still had feeling for Archie and if that was why I wasn't moving on to… anyone else." She avoided his eyes.

Jug could tell that there was something she wasn't telling him, but also that so far she was telling the truth. "Really?"

She nodded, "Yeah, but I told her that I don't want to be with Archie, I don't want things to be that way."

As those words passed her lips, Jug felt his heart swell bigger and bigger until he thought he might burst. 'She hadn't been talking about me after all… that means it's still possible that… I might have a chance.' He tried hard to keep his joy and excitement from showing, but by the confused look on her face, he could tell that he wasn't doing a very good job. Then he remembered his paper. That could be a reason for his happiness couldn't it?

He showed her his paper and told her about his conversation with Grundy. She got all excited for him.

"That's great, Juggie! I knew you could do it."

Things got quiet and tense between them for a couple of seconds.

"Um…I should get going," said Jug. "I told my parent's I'd babysit Jellybean so they could go to the movies tonight."

Betty smiled, "Alright Juggie, I'll see you tomorrow."

They turned their backs and walked away from each other, both thinking of being with the other.


	7. Monday Afternoon revisited

Chapter 7: Monday afternoon revisited

Mr. Weatherby was sitting at his desk in his office doing paperwork when there was a knock at his door. "Come in," he said without looking up.

"Mr. Weatherby, I heard you were still looking for a student to direct the spring play."

There was no mistake in who the owner of the voice was; Veronica Lodge. With a sigh he set down his pen and gave her his full attention. "Did you have someone in mind, Miss Lodge?"

She grinned and the original glimmer of a bad feeling from her entrance blossomed as she took the chair in front of his desk. "Yes," she said with her eyes full of excitement. "I would like to be the one to direct the play."

Mr. Weatherby sighed. 'I knew I should have gone home as soon as the bell rang.' "You do realize you won't be able to actually be in the play, you only get to direct it."

Veronica laughed prettily. "Oh, I know Mr. Weatherby. I have no intention of being in it. I already have a basic cast list in mind..."

"Oh really?" Now he was intrigued. Very rarely did Veronica put this much thought into one of her whims.

"I would like to create a play version of 'The Princess Bride' and I would like Betty and Jughead to play the leading roles, after the proper auditions of course."

Mr. Weatherby was amazed. "Um... Veronica. I love how much thought you've put into this, but I don't think the school budget would be able to afford the rights for that big of a production."

Veronica raised a perfect eyebrow. "Mr. Weatherby, you should know by now that when I want to do something the school cannot afford, I'll pick up the bill."

Mr. Weatherby sighed. He knew it was useless to try to refuse her. He hoped he wouldn't end up regretting this. "Alright, Veronica. If you and your father can procure the rights, you can direct the play you want. Just... try not to go overboard, alright?"

"Oh, thank you Mr. Weatherby. You won't regret this, I promise." She left his office with a smile on her face and a bounce in her step. She hopped into her car and headed toward Betty's house.

When she pulled up to the house she smiled. She had just seen Betty and Jughead part ways. Her grin widened as she thought about her plan in motion to bring them closer together. 'Now I can repay Betty to make up for all the horrible stunts I pulled.' She giggled to herself as she got out.

Betty was just about to make herself a small snack when she heard the doorbell ring. When she answered the door she was surprised to find Veronica standing there. 'Well, who else would it be?' she thought to herself. (You know darn well who you thought/hoped it would be.)

Before her mental argument could continue, Veronica's bubbly voice interrupted. "Oh, Betty! I have great news." She walked past Betty into the house

"Shoot," said Betty, getting her plate and taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Ok, you know how Mr. Weatherby was looking for a student to direct the play this spring?"

Betty's eyes widened. "No way! You got Weatherby to give you the position?"

Veronica nodded. "Yep, and I get to pick the play, cast the parts and everything."

"That's great! Do you know which play you're going to do yet?"

Veronica nodded. "I'm planning on creating a script based off the movie "The Princess Bride."

"No way!" Betty exclaimed, "That's my all time favorite book, and the movie wasn't bad either. That would definitely be an awesome show."

Veronica grinned. "I'm glad you like the idea because I want you to play the main role. I want you to be Buttercup."

"What? Don't you have to hold auditions or something?"

Veronica shrugged. "I'm the director. I can choose whoever I want for whatever part I want."

Betty sighed. 'I should have known she would say something like that.' She shrugged. "As long as I get to be Buttercup I'll be happy." Then an uneasy feeling came over her. "Who are you going to cast as Wesley?"

Ronnie grinned mischievously. "I think you're going to have to wait until after auditions."

"Oh, you're evil Ronnie. I bet you already know who you want to cast."

Veronica shrugged. "I have a pretty good idea... but I can tell you right now that it won't be Archie." It was almost heartbreaking for Veronica to watch Betty look so relieved and somewhat happy at news that would have devastated her a couple of weeks ago. She would have been begging for her to cast Archie. She forced a smile to remain on her face. Then she got to her feet. "I just wanted to stop by and give you a heads up..." When she looked Betty in the face again she couldn't hide her concern. "Are you doing alright, Betty?"

She just smiled. "I'm doing great. It feels good not to be tied to him anymore... to be back in control." Her eyes got a glazed look as her thoughts kept running. 'I may have more control when it comes to Archie, but what about Jughead... No that's not true. I AM in control there too.' She jumped as Veronica rubbed her upper arm and the smile slid back into place.

"Do you want to hang out or go to the mall or something?"

"Nah," Betty laughed, "I have to go babysit in a little while. Besides, I want to give my paper another look-over."

Veronica's eyes widened at that last part. "Paper? The essay for Grundy! When is it due?"

"Wednesday."

"Oh! Um... See you later, Betty."

"Didn't start it yet, did you?"

Veronica looked sheepishly at Betty. "No."

Betty laughed. "I'll look it over tomorrow night if you'd like." Veronica looked comforted. Betty continued, "Oh, and tell Archie I'll look over his paper too" then she added with a more bitter tone "If he gets it written."

Veronica bit her lip, wanting to ask what happened but was afraid of causing her friend more pain.

Betty noticed the look on Veronica's face and laughed. "It's nothing, Ronnie. I just ran into Archie on the way home and he tried to get me to write the paper for him."

Veronica sensed that a little more happened, but she figured she'd hear it from Archie when he called her. She hugged her friend. "I love you Betty. If you need me for anything just give me a call okay?"

Betty smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Ronnie."

She grinned. "Take care of yourself, Betty."

As Betty walked Veronica to the door, something on the sofa caught Veronica's eye. "What's that?" She went and picked it up, unfolding it. Veronica raised an eyebrow as Betty began to blush. "Well, well. Betty, what is Jughead's sweater doing here?"

Betty's face was frozen in shock as her face turned beet-red. "W-w-well... y-you see... Jughead was walking me home the other night and I was cold so he let me borrow it. I was supposed to give it back to him today but I totally forgot." Betty knew she was starting to babble but she couldn't help it. "I can't believe it. I set it right where I could see it and I still forgot it." Most of what she was saying was true, but she hadn't brought the sweatshirt down until after she had gotten home. She had lay down on the couch with it. It seemed to keep her from getting anxious and thinking about Archie.

'You are such a bad liar, Betty.' Veronica thought, snickering mentally. All she said out loud was "Yeah, okay Betty."

"No... really... I did."

"Whatever you say Betty." She handed Betty the sweater. "It's not like it's any of my business anyway." Veronica headed toward the door. "You just enjoy your snack, okay?" She gave Betty a playful wink. "Ciao."

"Betty was left standing immobile with her eyes on the door and the sweater in her hands."

As Veronica got into her car she had the urge to call Jughead right then and there. 'He probably isn't even home yet anyway.

As soon as Veronica got home she went to her father's office. "Daddy..."

"Yes, Veronica-dear?" He asked, not looking up from his computer.

"I got chosen to direct the school play this spring."

His typing ceased. "How much is it going to cost me this time?"

"Oh, Daddy. The only thing I need you to do is make sure I'll be able to use the movie "The Princess Bride" as a script. I'm sure there is a bunch of copyright mumbo-jumbo that will have to be taken care of."

"...You aren't going to end up spending a bunch of money on special effects or super-fancy, designer costumes are you?"

"Come on Daddy, don't be silly. Even if I was able to pull out all the stops, this movie doesn't take many special effects. If anything I would only need a little help with costumes of special effects. I've already promised Mr. Weatherby not to go overboard and I'll promise you too. Please Daddy?"

Mr. Lodge sighed. He knew it was impossible for him to refuse her. "Alright Veronica. It may take a couple of phone calls, but you'll be able to do the script for your play."

"Oh thank you Daddy!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked his cheek. "You won't regret this I promise."

As she left his office, Mr. Lodge scratched his head and chuckled. "I don't know what I'm ever going to do with that girl."

As Veronica went up to her room she was tempted to put in the movie and start working on the script like she originally planned, but that plan went to hell as soon as Betty mentioned the paper. She rolled her eyes at the thought of having to write it. 'But first...' She grabbed the telephone and laid on the bed as she punched in a set of numbers. "...Hello? ...Pop? ...Yeah, it's me Veronica... I just wanted to let you know that the plan is in motion." She grinned. "I've already got Betty on board. Now I just need to convince Jughead or it will all be for nothing... Yeah, I gotta go... of course, I'll keep you posted." Veronica hung up the phone feeling very pleased with herself.

It was just about 6 pm and Jughead had just set Jellybean up with her dinner when the phone rang. He suddenly felt slightly nervous as he went to answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Juggie." It was Veronica.

It felt like a weight was lifted off his chest and he let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Yet he felt oddly disappointed. "Hey, Ronnie. What's up?"

"Nothing much... Mr. Weatherby made me director of the school play and I was wondering if I could talk you into coming to the auditions ."

"When are you going to be holding them?"

"I'm not sure yet. Hopefully before the end of next week, but I do have a good idea about which part I want you to play."

He hesitated before responding. "I don't know Ronnie... I have a lot of catching up to do in my classes if I'm going to make it through this semester."

"Aw, come on Juggie. It will be loads of fun... Please Juggie? I need you."

He sighed. "Alright, Ronnie. Let me know when the auditions are and I'll be there." She wasn't going to let up until he agreed and he knew it. 'Plus I'm sure Betty will be there too.' "What play are we doing anyway?" He could almost see her grinning.

"The Princess Bride."

He recognized it as one of Betty's favorites. "Are you going to let Betty be Buttercup?"

"Yeah, no one better for the part besides me and Mr. Weatherby made me promise not to cast myself. Besides, I still have a lot I need to make up to Betty."

'Darn right you do.' Jug said to himself. Out loud he said, "What part have you picked out for me?"

"You are going to have to wait and find out."

'Typical Ronnie' he thought, rolling his eyes. "Whatever. I'll talk to you later. I have chores and homework to do."

"Alright. Bye, Juggie. And thanks again."

"Uh-huh. Bye." As he hung up the phone he couldn't help but think she was up to something. He had a feeling it had something to do with the play.

Before he could think much more about it the phone started ringing again. "Hello?" He assumed Ronnie must have forgotten to tell him something.

"Juggie?" It was Betty.

His breath caught in his throat and he could swear Betty must be able to hear his heart beat for the pounding it was doing in his chest.

"Are you there?"

He struggled to find his voice and did his best to disguise the anxiety he felt."I'm here. What's going on?"

"Nothing much I guess..."

"What's wrong?"

"Like I said, nothing I could really put my finger on. But Ronnie's acting strange."

'You noticed too?' He thought to himself. Out loud he said, "How do you mean?"

"Well, first she kept pestering me about Archie and dating. Now she's being overly nice but secretive."

"About?"

"She managed to become the director of the school play and offered me the leading role in one of my favorite stories."  
"The Princess Bride'. She's trying to rope me into it too. But what's strange about that?"

"I don't know." She sounded exasperated. "I guess I'm just used to being suspicious of her motives, but I don't see what she has to gain." Jughead of course knew what she meant and shared her feelings. Betty continued, "I just don't get it. I suppose she could just be trying to make things up to me, but..."

"But Veronica rarely does anything without her own agenda."

"Yeah... I hate to be so suspicious of my best friend. They say never look a gift horse in the mouth. She even promised not to give the role of Wesley to Archie."

"Then I doubt w-you have anything to worry about." He could have kicked himself for almost slipping. "She may just be trying to give you something fun to focus on."

She sighed. "I guess you're right." She laughed. "I am really excited to get to be Buttercup. Even if it's pretend, the love and devotion Wesley showered on her would be amazing to be a part of."

'Oh Betty... If only you knew...' He didn't say anything, knowing she was probably playing a sappy piece of the story in her head.

"Anyway, that wasn't the only reason I called."

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to make sure you remembered the chemistry test tomorrow."

"Shoot! Actually, I completely forgot. I was too busy looking at my other classes and the late work I never turned in."

"Oh, Juggie." She laughed softly. "Don't worry too much about ti. I think he said it was just a quiz and that if we were paying attention in class that it should be pretty easy."

"Yea, well... I didn't exactly take very good notes this quarter."

"Hmmm... well, if you want we could meet before school starts. We could study together."

"You do take the best notes." He teased. "Yes, please. I could use any help I can get." NOt to mention he would take any excuse to spend time with her.

They discussed the details and agreed to meet at the corner between their houses. "Thanks for inviting me to study with you. It will give me a real advantage on the test."

"Oh, it is no trouble really. I study best with a buddy anyway."

There was a moment of awkward silence as they both searched for something to say. Jughead wanted to make a crack about Archie blowing up the lab with a paper exam, but rightly sensed that the hilarity of the joke wouldn't be worth bringing up Archie. So instead he said, "Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning Betty."

"Yea... Goodnight."

"Sweet Dreams."

"Th-thanks... you too." He could almost see her blush and wished for the thousandth time that day that he could say what was burning such a deep hole in his heart. Instead he just hung up the phone and turned his full attention back to Jellybean as she insisted on feeding herself.

As Betty hung up the phone, a warm feeling of delight swept through her. Her mind flashed through several delightful conversations that could have happened. She shook thoughts of pronounced feelings and date requests out of her head. 'Stop being silly, Betty.' She told herself.

(You're only silly if you give up that hope.) Said the voice that always pointed out thoughts she didn't necessarily want to hear or accept.

'Oh, what do you know?'

(I know he's a lot closer to the type of guy you want in your life than Archie ever could be.)

'Shut up.'

Despite successfully shutting out the annoying voice, Betty found it impossible to concentrate on her homework. Instead of beating a dead horse, she decided to settle down for the night with her new romance novel. Sure enough, in her mind's eye, the main character suspiciously resembled Jughead.


End file.
